Apparatus for adding to the output of a main power station, the output of one or more distant sources



S. D. SPRONG.

APPARATUS FOR ADDING TO THE OUTPUT OF A MAIN POWER STATION,THE OUTPUT OF ONE OR MORE DISTANT SOURCES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. I918.

1,329,276. Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

an no wfoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SEVERN D. SPRONG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR ADDIN Brooklyn,

G TO THE OUTPUT OF A MAIN POWER STATION, THE OUTPUT OF ONE OR MORE DISTANT SOURCES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 12, 1918. Serial No. 228,078.

Station, the Output of One Sources, of which the fication.

It frequently hap tain territory there may rated sources of water power, a combination or even of some number of all of them, less than all, is

expense is found not justified by Hence some one source of power in power.

impract 110cm: 1, Snvnnn D. SPRONG, States, residin at Kings and tate invented a certain new ent in Apparatus for a Main Power or More Distant following is a specipens that while in a cerbe several sepaicable because the the gain is usually selected, and the single generating plant is located in its immediate proximity. arises, for example, on a Such a condition river or stream w of falls; some one f here thereis a succession alls, where the greatest head is available, being chosen;

generally recognized that It is, however,

if auxiliary genera low cost both ting plants of relatively of installation and operation could be established at one or more of the secondary power sites, justify theenterprise, auxiliary installation can from the main power station. the problem which is rectly This is by my present invention.

Figure 1 is an i ing the the general gain W1 and especially if the be controlled dinow solved In the accompan mg drawings-- 1 ustrative diagram, showauxiliary stations.

Fig. 2 is an electrical location of the main and the distant diagram, showing the apparatus and circuits of the system.

For purpose oi the main st B of a river and there resume that the high falls illustration, I will asation A is located at ceives power, and that the auxiliary station C is located at and recei distant from falls B.

low falls D,

At the station chronous transmission line 5 communicating through pipe nerator 1, wheel, indicated at 2. to the bus 3, to whi ves power from the three-phase synactuated by a water- Generator 1 delivers ch is connected the main and the auxiliary line with station C.

ate-val e Waterheel r-wheel, indicated the water coming pipe is a rotary.

6 drives a threemain transmission line 4, and so phase induction generator 9, here of the squirrel cage type.

In the auxihar manually controllable three-phase autotransformer 10, an oil switch 11, and current transformers 12, said current transformers being connected to the coils of a relay 13. The trip coil 14 of the oil switch is connected to a source of direct current supply and to the fixed terminals of relay 13.

The gate-valve 8 at station C is controlled by an electric motor 15 connected to line 5. On the shaft of said motor is a bevel pinion engaging gear 16 on the stem of valve 8. Also on said motor shaft is a stepped cone pulley 17, on Which is wound the cord 18 which, after passing over fixed pulley 19, carries a counter-weight 20.

The operation is as follows:

The operator atthe main station A sets the auto-transformer 10 at minimum volta e, as shown in Fig. 2. He also manually c oses oil switch 11. The induction generator 9 at station C then having voltage applied to it, begins to rotate as a motor. The motor 15 at station C receiving low voltage makes turns until its torque is counterbalanced by weight 20. Valve 8 is thus partially opened, allowing a small amount of water to pass to water-wheel 6.

The operator then sets auto-transformer 10 to impress higher voltages successively on transmission line 5 until full normal voltage is reached. Induction generator 9 is thus gradually brought up to speed as an induction motor, and motor 15 gradually rotates valve 8 to full open position, thus permitting full water supply to ass to wheel 6, .which in turn drives induction en erator 9 at a speed slightly above sync ronism, thereb converting said enerator from the con ition of a motor to t at of an auxiliary generator delivering energy to the supplementing the output of the generator 1 at the main station A, and thus utilizing the power of the falls at D.

Should an accident, such as a. short cir cuit, occur on the line 5 between the stations, the oil switch ll-controlled by overload relay 13 immediately opens because of the excess current flowing into that circuit from the main generating station. No exciting current can then pass to induction generator 9 or motor 15, and the auxiliary line 5 is connected a station becomes electrically dead. The counterweight 20 then rotates electric motor 15 in the reverse direction, which closes valve 8, so shutting ofi' the water supply to wheel 6, and the whole apparatus at the auxiliary station C comes to rest without shock or damage.

' frequency. This is due to tion -C requires no In case the operator at the main station wishes to obtain from the auxiliary station less than its maximum output, he does not bring the connecting line to maximum voltage, but moves the switch lever of autotransformer 10 to some intermediate point and allows it there to remain. The effect is to diminish the torque of motor 15, permitting it to remain in the intermediate position, with the gate valve 8 but partly opened, thus delivering part load to the water wheel '6 and the enerator 9. In normal operation when It is desired to shut down auxiliary station C, the oil switch 11 is manually opened.

The squirrel ca e induction enerator here shown as insta led at the auxi iary staindependent excitation, no voltage control, and no speed control. Nor does it have to be synchronized when connected to the line, nor is it fixed as to the fact that the generator is excited from out of phase current taken from the live line to which ,it is connected. The voltage of such live line determines the voltage and frequency of the induction generator, and it is only necessary in order to have the generator act as a true generator and send out current at proper voltage and frequency that it be driven slightly above synchronism, as hereinbefore described. Such excess s eed above synchronism is what may be called a positive slip and corresponds to the negative slip of the same machine when operating as an'induction motor.

From all the foregoing it will be seen that not only secure the whole or partial output of the auxiliary station C, but also control the apparatus at said station from the main station A, thus eliminating any manual control or personal supervision of said apparatus by attendants at the auxiliary installation.

another, may be independently connected by their own transmission lines to bus 3, so that all of said auxiliary stations, if desired, or a selected number of them, may be caused to contribute their output to that of the main station.

It is also to be observed that the transmission of power and of control between the main power stationand the auxiliary power station is accomplished said main line, and at a over a single auxiliaryhere polyphase--transmission line; and that if a plurality of auxiliary stations, distant from the main station and .from one another, be present, then the transmission of power and of control takes place between the main power station and all or any number of the auxiliary stations through the single lines connecting said main station with said auxiliary stations.

I claim:

1. A main generating plant, an auxiliary generating plant distant from said main plant, a single transmission line connecting said plants, means connected in and operating through said transmission line for causing said auxiliary plant to add its output through said transmission line to the output of said main plant and means at said main generating plant for controlling said operating means.

main generating plant, a plurality of auxiliary generating plants distant from said main plant and from one another, single transmission lines connecting each of said auxiliary plants with said main plant, means connected in and operating through each of said transmission lines for causing all or any number of said distant plants to add their outputs to the output of said main station through said transmission lines and 9 means at said main generating plant for controlling said operating means.

3. The method of controlling from a main generating plant at a given power station, an auxiliary generating plant at a distant power station electrically connected to said main station, and of causing said auxiliary plant to add its output to the output of said main station, which consists in first actuating the generator at said distant station as a motor by low voltage transmitted from said main station while independently driving said generator by power at said distant station, then increasing said voltage and said driving power until said distant station generator operates as a true generator and de livers energy to said main station.

4. A synchronous polyphase generator, a main transmission line supplied thereby, an auxiliary transmission line in branch from distant power station, a polyphase induction generator connected to said auxiliary transmission line, means actuated by the power at said station for driving said induction generator, an electric motor connected in branch to said aux iliary transmission line, and means controlled by said electric motor for regulating thepower actuating said driving means.

5. A synchronous polyphase generator, a

main transmission line supplied thereby, an

induction generator connected to said auxiliary transmission line, means actuated by the power at said station for driving said induction genera-tor, an electric motor connected in branch to said auxiliary transmission line, and means controlled by said electric motor for regulating the power actuating said driving means.

.A synchronous polyphase generator, a main transmission linesupplied thereby, an auxiliary transmission line inbranch from said main line, means for regulating the voltage on said auxiliary transmission line, a manually operable switch in said auxiliary transmission line, and means automatically operating to open said switch upon the 00 currenoe of an accidentsuch as a short circuiton the auxiliary transmission line between said stations, and at a distant power station, a polyphase induction generator connected to said auxiliary transmission line means actuated by the power at said station for driving said induction generator, an electric motor connected in branch to said auxiliary transmission line, and means controlled by said electric motor for regulating the power actuating said driving means. i

7. A synchronous polyphase generator, a main transmission line supplied thereby, an auxiliarytransmission line in branch from said main line, means for regulating the voltage on said auxiliary line, and at adistant power station, a pol phase induction generator connected to sa1 auxiliary trans-- mission line means actuated b the power at said statlon for driving said induction.

generator, an electric motor connected in ranch to said auxiliary transmission line, means controlled by'said motor for regulating the power actuating said driving means, and means for progressively counterbala ncing the torque of said motor.

8. A synchronous polyphase generator, :1. main transmission line supplied thereby, an auxiliary transmission line in branch from said main line, means for regulating the voltage on said auxiliary line, and at a distant station, a polyphase induction generator connected to said auxiliary transmission line, a hydraulic motor driving said generator, a duct delivering actuating fluid to said motor, a valve in said duct, an electric motor connected in branch to said auxiliary transmission line and controlling said valve to regulate the fluid supply to said hydraulic motor, and means for progressively counterbalancing the torque of said motor. Y

9, The combination of claim 8, including as the means for regulatin the voltage on the auxiliary transmission line, a manually controllable auto-transformer in said line.

10. A synchronous polyphase generator, a main transmission line supplied thereby, an auxiliary transmission line in branch from said main line, means for regulating the voltage on said auxiliary line, and at a distant station, a polyphase induction generator connected to said auxiliary transmission line, a hydraulic motor driving said generator; a duct delivering actuating fluid to said motor, a rotary valve in said duct, an electric niotor connected in branch to saidauxiliary transmission line and having its shaft geared to said valve, a stepped cone pulley on' said motor shaft, a cord on said cone pulley, and a counter-weight suspended by said cord.

11. A main generating plant, an auxiliary generating plant distant from said main plant, a transmission. line connecting said plants, means connected in and operating through said transmission line for causing said auxiliary plant to add its output through said transmission line to the output of said main plant, and a manually operable device at said main generating plant for controlling said operating means.

-=In testimony whereof I. have aflix'ed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SEVERN D. SPRONG. 

